


Reset

by mrlcoleman



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:47:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1707023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrlcoleman/pseuds/mrlcoleman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the economical collapse of 2031, humanity is thrown into a new Dark Age.<br/>With the only surviving technology, a brain center known as "The Hive," all surviving humans are connected to the system through DNA encoded micro chips. </p><p>When Cali experiences a glitch during her Reset, she finds out exactly what happened in 2031, and the years leading up to the collapse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of my first original work! 
> 
> Tell me what you think!

_"We are no longer the superior mind. Man has relied too heavily on technology, for far too long._   
_The Hive will be our salvation in these dark times."_

_\- President Rawnson, 2031_

 

2131 Present Day

"Come on Booker, we're gonna be late!" Calix banged on the door to Booker's room. "If we're late I'm going to kill you so dead even the Hive wont be able to reset you!"  
  
 _"I said I'm coming Cali, I can't get this damn shirt on; there's too many buttons!"_ Booker yelled back sounding frustrated. 

Cali huffed, blowing her brown hair from her eyes. She looked down at her tattered and repaired dress. The dull gray color did little to help her pale skin, tightening at the pudge in her middle and over her chest. Catching her reflection in the broken mirror, she frowned at the plain image staring back at her; her green eyes looked muddy in the dim lighting of the house. Glancing at the clock, she smirked;  _4:00, and he's still getting dressed,_  she thought to herself. 

Booker stepped out of the small bedroom, ducking to exit. His clothes were less worn out; the blues and grays a bit brighter than hers, though the shirt pulled tight over his stocky frame. His stress over the shirt flushed his face, making his blue eyes shine against his tanned skin, his sandy brown hair had been mussed in the struggle. 

They had been paired by the Hive four years ago at their Reset Ceremony once they had finished their apprenticeships; pairings were vital to surviving the Reset.  
  
The Reset began one hundred years ago, when the economy collapsed. Linked to the Hive through micro chip implants, the Hive runs a mandatory Reset every year to update new people added to the system, and account for those who died.   
Something the Hive had not prepared for was the side effect of resetting. Some people had adverse reactions; vomiting, amnesia, aggressiveness, and even death.   
Booker's father died 16 years ago, killed by Booker's mother in a moment of fear when she suffered Reset amnesia.   
Cali considered herself lucky, her father died during a flood in the Pipes, and her mother died of illness. 

Cali and Booker had made it through three resets together, today was their fourth. 

"You look fine." Cali said as she stepped over to Booker. Doing up the buttons on the dress shirt, she smiled and spoke calmly. "Sorry, I wont kill you dead. But we really do need to hurry. Logan and Lora are getting paired today." Finished, she patted his shoulder and walked down the short hall to the front door.   
  
Stepping out of the house and into the crowded, dingy street they started down the road towards the Hive.   
  
Passing the houses, Cali sighed. She'd seen pictures of the city when it was first created. Large, bright houses, with lush green yards, and little planter boxes on the windows.  
The houses around her now were far from the gorgeous homes of the past. The homes had fallen into disrepair, faded paints -sometimes completely chipped off- and yards of dead grass. Boarded up windows and roofs with holes gave the homes an ominous feeling. 

"Are you okay?" Booker's voice said more than his words did. Cali had been with Logan Riley before her pairing ceremony. Once she found out she would be paired with Booker, Logan had refused to speak to her. She'd only began speaking to him again when his sister came to apprentice at Cali's job, Reading.  
  
Cali nodded and smiled up at Booker. "Yeah, it's fine. Everyone gets paired, we don't have any control over who we get paired with." 

They arrived at the Hive courtyard, and found Logan and Lora near the stage. The lights above the small stage struggled to illuminate the rather small crowd. The population of Rawnson had shrunk significantly over the last hundred years; as of 2127 only 500 people still lived in the city, and even fewer were at the ceremony. 

Lora's short blonde hair and green eyes stood out in the sea of dull grays and muted blues. Logan was almost a twin to his sister, though taller and older.   
"This is so stupid. I can do just fine through the Resets without a partner." Lora grumbled. Notorious for her surly attitude and penchant for trouble, she was less than excited about being paired.   
"Shut up Lora, we all need one. Quit being a baby." Logan frowned at his sister, then let out a muffled sound when she stomped on his foot.   
  
The music started up, the voice of the Hive calling up those to be paired. Logan made his way to the stage, pushing through the bodies of onlookers, eager to get the pairing over with. Lora rolled her eyes and groaned before moving towards the stage herself. Booker pulled Cali behind him, moving them to the far right of the stage closest to were they would be standing. 

President Mason walked on stage at the crescendo of the music, her gray hair in a tight bun, her face serious.   
The ceremony went by quickly, even though Logan and Lora were close to the end. The crowd thinned, leaving more room for Booker and Cali to see, and offering up seating space. 

"Logan Riley is to be paired with... Hayden Learner." Cali had never heard of a Hayden Learner before.   
  
President Mason continued on to Lora's pairing, "Lora Riley is to be paired with... Dani Embers." Cali sat up and looked over the stage for a Dani Embers; whoever would be moving the familiar shuffle of someone who had just been named; no one moved. 

"Let's go wait for them in the back." Booker held his hand out to Cali to help her up, and walk with her to the back of the Hive to wait for Logan and Lora.   
His hand was warm, a little clammy. Soft calluses lined his palm and the inside of his fingers from his work in Structure. Cali looked at their hands together; hers was much smaller, softer from her job in Reading, though she never could wash off all the ink from the pages.  
  
Cali knew how Booker felt about her. It was in the subtle excuses he found to hold her hand, like now. The way he said her name when he was tired, or exasperated. The way he hugged her a little longer than most people. Pairing had been something he had been excited about, when she had been anxious. But after eight years of living together, you come to care for the other person. 

Lora and Logan came around the corner with company.  
  
Logan cleared his throat before gesturing to the man beside him, "Cali, Booker, this is Hayden." Cali's eyes grew wide and her mouth opened slightly before she composed herself. She looked at Lora who nodded and gestured to the girl beside her. "This is Dani." She said quietly.   
Although uncommon, people became a "matching" pair, every once in a while.   
  
"Well, welcome to this fucked up bunch." Booker said laughing, holding his hand out for Hayden. Hayden had short black hair and gray eyes. His build resembled that of a shorter version of Booker. Still in his work clothes, Cali smiled at the "Pipes" badge on his shirt - her father worked in the Pipes before he died.   
  
Dani seemed to relax at Booker's words, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Hi. I think I've seen you before, I work in Medical." she said, shaking his hand.   
Booker beamed at her, then looked to Lora and winked. "You got a smart one Lora, maybe she'll share some of that brain with you."   
  
Lora squinted at Booker, "Ha, Ha, Books. I think one too many beams have fallen on you." She teased, but her words were playful, Lora loved Booker like a brother; he's been watching out for her for years.   
  
People were milling around the Hive, heading back to their homes and work. Booker had the day off, but Cali had to go to work at Reading. The sun was beginning to set, the street lights casting shadows on the ground. 

"Well, I've gotta get to work, and you guys need to get to know each other. Good luck." Cali smiled and gave an over dramatic thumbs up, before grabbing Booker's hand, heading back to the small home they shared a few blocks over. 

"That's not what I was expecting. Names seem a bit switched don't you think?" Booker asked.   
"Really?  _Booker_?  _Calix?_ " Cali scoffed, neither one of them had room to talk about weird names.   
Booker laughed, a deep sound that made others on the street turn their head. "We're the exception that makes the rule." 

The tiny house came into view, with its faded bricks and worn shingles. It wasn't big or nice like the houses near the Hive, but Booker used his job in Structure to keep it from falling apart.   
Cali changed from the dress for the ceremony to her preferred choice of old jeans and a tee shirt. Slipping on her boots and grabbing her back pack for work, she headed out.   
Booker was parked on the couch reading. Changed from his dress clothes for the ceremony, he was stretched out in his in old sweats, the sleeves of his shirt pushed up to his elbows. He had a small tattoo of Cali's initials, should they ever get separated after a Reset gone wrong.   
"I'll be back before the Reset." Patting his shoulder as she passed, Booker made a grunt of acknowledgment.   
  
The Reading center was just over the hill at the end of the street, a squat brown building, and a few small windows. Smiling at the other workers, she tossed her bag under the counter by her feet.  
Cali liked her job, it was quiet. Breathing in the smell of old books -some of them hundreds of years old- and watching people travel to worlds with phones and something called wifi.  
But Cali didn't want to be at work tonight. She wanted to be home, on her couch, waiting for the Reset with Booker. 

Cali glanced at the clock, watching the little hands tick by. Six hours till Reset. 

 


	2. Dull Ache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their fourth reset together, Cali begins having migraines, and vivid dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god it's been so long since I updated! Hopefully this is good enough to warrant the huge time gap.

Cali came through the door of the small house she shared with Booker, hanging her bag on the hook by the door.   
Booker was asleep on the couch where she left him; arm over his eyes, his book having been discarded. 

Cali walked over to the small TV and switched it on for the Reset broadcast. Static crackled through the speakers, filling the small house with it's white noise.   
The living room was best part of the house. One salvaged couch sat towards the center of the room, with a small side table Booker had in his home growing up. Cali had her fathers favorite chair in the corner, the upholstery was well worn, some spots completely bare with just the foam padding showing through.   
The TV was placed across from the couch on a low table Booker had built from scrap wood he took from Structure.   
The little kitchen area was tucked into the back corner of the room; a fridge, sink, and a couple cupboards made up the kitchenette. Enough for a small house and just the two of them. 

Reset began in 30 minutes. After five and half slow hours at work, the clock seemed to be racing her to midnight.   
Cali walked to the shared bedroom, opting to change from her work clothes to her pj's.  The light overhead struggled to illuminate every inch of the room, though there was little room to be spoken of.  Two twin beds took up almost all of the room, a tall, narrow night stand between the beds, and a faded brown dresser opposite the beds were the only pieces of furniture in the room.   
Trading the jeans for sleep pants, Cali stepped into the bathroom, brushing her hair and teeth, before heading back to the living room. 

"Booker. Book. Hey!" Cali shook Booker till he woke up. Moving his feet out of the way, she sat at the other end of the couch, waiting for the next 20 minutes to speed by. 

Booker groaned and rubbed a hand over his face, yawning loudly. "Did I miss it?" He stretched out, pinning Cali under his legs. He smirked and tried to stick his feet in her face, laughing. 

Cali laughed but shoved his feet away from her face, smacking his leg. "No, it starts in 20 minutes. Stop!"

"Can't believe it's been four years already." Booker whispered. He hated the Reset more than anyone Cali knew, and he deserved to; his mother had Reset amnesia 16 years ago. Rare, but not unheard of. His father tried to help her cope through the amnesia and wound up being killed when she attacked him out of fear. His mother disappeared, and had never been found. Some say the Hive sent her away, some say she ran because of the amnesia.  Booker was only nine when it happened, and was sent to live in Hive housing, but left at 15 to live on his own. 

Cali nodded. "I know. And we've still got 50 plus years to go." The thought of reseting for the rest of her life bothered Cali. The Reset was a little over 100 years old. She had heard rumors before; that people didn't have the chips in their arms, and didn't reset. She rubbed the small bump under the skin of her forearm, just under her elbow. She was given her chip a week before her Pairing Ceremony. Name, age, and job were coded into the chip, keeping track of the residents of Rawnson and the rest of the world. 

Booker and Cali talked about her shift at the Reading Center, and his upcoming jobs with Structure. After a while, the small TV began making noise, letting viewers know the Reset was about to begin. Booker grabbed himself and Cali cups of water, and sat down as President Mason appeared on screen in her office to give her speech about how the Hive was an important part of their lives, and all the good it did.  
Booker's arm rested on the back of the couch, and Cali scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder as it started.   
  
"Here we go." She said, raising her glass to clink it with his. For those who managed to avoid any Reset related issues, they would feel nothing when it happened.   
People who had became ill all said they felt  _different_ when the Reset occurred, but were soon urged to stop speaking about it.   
  
Cali watched the TV as they showed the Hive powering down. As the Hive slowly started to come alive once again, she felt a sharp pain in her temple. Ignoring it, she sat up, rolling her head on her neck. _Probably just a kink from sitting weird,_ she thought. The pain eased, and she took a deep breath, letting it out with a half hearted smile.   
"I'm good, you?" she asked.   
  
Booker nodded and stood, taking the empty cups to the kitchen. Cali turned the TV off, and gave Booker a hug before they went to bed. They made it through another one. "That was fun, do it again in a year?" She asked sarcastically.  
  
"I think we should do it _every year_." Booker said, laughing.  
  
They climbed into their beds, a faint glow coming in the window from the street lights. "Night Cali."Booker whispered, rolling over and drifting off.

"Night Books." She whispered. She rolled onto her stomach, tucking her arms under her pillow. She thought of the Reset, glad they had made it through another. As she started to drift off, she noted the head ache beginning. 

Sleep that night was almost impossible. Dreams of people using small boxes to talk to other people, the WiFi she had heard of. She had never seen these people before. The world alone looked so different. It was bright, and the houses were large and colorful, yards were green, and the streets were filled with cars, not people. 

Cali saw herself walking through a door into a house. It was her house. It was just as small, but the colors! It was so much brighter. What was now a dull gray color, was once a beautiful blue. The walls were a shade of yellow so pale, it was almost white. A small couch, and two small chairs sat in the living room, surrounding a small coffee table. Across from the couch stood a larger table with doors and drawers, holding a much larger TV; bigger than she had ever seen. She moved through the house, and didn't find anyone else. The bedroom only had one twin bed, so they must live alone. She left the house and walked to the yard and stood in the grass. She had never felt grass before, but she knew what it felt like. It was soft and warm, and she could see each blade moving individually. 

A car drove by, and honked it's horn. Cali sat up in bed, the noise in her dream startling her awake. She'd never seen the house look that nice before. She'd never seen any of that stuff before. She looked over at Booker still asleep, and took a deep breath then laid back down.  Staring at the ceiling, she tried to hold the dream in her memory, she wanted to tell Booker in the morning. 

"That was weird." she whispered to herself, before falling asleep. 

 


End file.
